The Salomon XR Crossmax Neutral Shoe takes you from the front door to nature's doorstep. Winner of Runner's World magazine's "Best Debut" in 2011, the Corssmax Neutral allows you to run out your front door, giving you enough cushion for comfort on the roads, but also has aggressive tread and enough stability to hang in the woods on the trail. At Rock/Creek, we like to run from the store on the road for a few blocks and then hop on to Stringer's Ridge and pound out a good trail run for a few miles before heading back down the hill on the road to the store again. Salomon's XR Crossmax Neutral gives you high-mileage performance from road to trail and back!

"Two of the hottest new trail running shoes on the market, the Merrell Barefoot Trail Glove/Pace Glove and Salomon XR Crossmax, have received “best debut” honors in a Runner’s World review of trail runners. Here at Rock/Creek, we are pretty passionate about trail running, and both shoes are among the lineup of trail running shoes we’re carrying for this season...."

When I first tried on these shoes, I'd been mostly running in a pair of Salomon XA Pro 3D GTX trail running shoes, which are fantastic but a little on the heavy side and were definitely going to be too steamy to use in summer. The XR Crossmax was so much lighter and more breathable, but I was nervous. Would it have the same traction and stability? They fit my feet perfectly, just like the XAs, and on an impulse I bought a pair.

Since then, I have been running two or three times a week in the XR Crossmax, for a couple of months now, and it has easily eclipsed my other options as my favorite trail running shoe. It's super comfortable, but doesn't sacrifice any of the stability or traction I've come to expect from Salomon trail running shoes. There is a good amount of cushioning, enough to comfortably run on paved roads where necessary, but that cushioning doesn't equate to a lack of responsiveness like I thought it would.

I credit Salomon for coming up with a design that securely cradles the midfoot, and with the auto-laces it's super easy to dial in the appropriate amount of tension. These aren't waterproof, of course, but they dry so quickly that it doesn't matter, and I happily splash right through puddles along my way. They call this a hybrid road/trail running shoe, but it feels like a full-fledged trail shoe to me, even in sloppy conditions or on rocky terrain.

My feet feel AWESOME after my frequent training runs, without compromises. The Salomon XR Crossmax is definitely one of the best trail running shoes out there right now!

I love the Crossmax shoes; they're a perfect shoe for running short distances on the road before you hit the trail. If you're living in North Chattanooga for example, you can run on the road a mile up to Stringer's Ridge and then hit the trails, all the while using one shoe that isn't overbuilt for the road but also isn't soft on the trails.

I've been running in Salomon trail runners for the past 6 years but the CrossMax is simply the most comfortable running shoe I have ever worn. I am trying to move to a more front foot running style and these are a great help in that effort. The toe box is very roomy and the shoes move wonderfully with my feet. I've only had them for a few weeks but have loved them on both trails and roads. If you like Salomon's other shoe lines, I think you'll adore these shoes.